Skip to main content

Wozniacki, Hsieh Confirm Participation In Bmw M'sian 0pen 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 (Bernama) -- World number 10 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and defending champion Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan became the first two players to confirm participations in the BMW Malaysian Open women tennis championship next year.

The announcement was made by event patron Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad during a press conference at a hotel here Saturday.

The former prime minister also announced the qualifier wildcard entry for national player 16-year-old Aslina Chua, who was recently crowned BMW Malaysian National Circuit 2012 Women's Open winner.

In his speech, Dr Mahathir said, it had always been his intention to see Malaysians engaging in sports, not just for its competitive elements but also in promoting healthy lifestyle, as well as developing stronger mindset and discipline.

"This passion also had to do with cultivating sportsmen and sportswomen from young, who will be advocates for Malaysia and future role models for our younger generation to look up to," he said. He said, since its introduction in 2010, the tournament had become an important event in the Malaysian sporting calendar, attracting spectators from all over the world and positioning Malaysia as a serious sporting destination.

"The BMW Malaysian Open has also given the younger generation a platform to showcase their talent in the sports arena, and this is vital in the growth of sports in the country," he said.

Dr Mahathir then had an online video conversation with Hsieh, who is currently undergoing training in Melbourne, Australia.

Hsieh said she looked forward to coming back to Malaysia and planned to bring her family to visit the Kuala Lumpur Twin Towers.

"It's always good to come back to a place where I win a tournament," said the currently ranked No 25 in the WTA Tour singles ranking. The BMW Malaysian Open, a fully-sanctioned event on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour, will be held from Feb 25 to March 3, next year at the Royal Selangor Golf Club near here.

Thirty-two women tennis players from the WTA Tour will compete for the singles title. The prize purse is USD235,000 (RM718,277).

The competition will also feature 16 teams for the doubles title, as well as a qualifier tournament for 24 players leading to the main draw.

Meanwhile, Chua, who stands at number 596 in the world, is excited to be given an opportunity to play alongside international players in the competition.

"This is only my first year playing competitive tennis and I'm very grateful for this chance. It will also be my first time playing in a professional tournament, so I'm very excited and I hope to do well," said the Sarawak-born.

-- BERNAMA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Malaysian junior athletes are just too ‘lembik’

Saya setuju. We are working on more coaches! “ @ManOlimpik : Malaysian junior athletes are just too ‘lembik’ http://t.co/7D7wmHWaNy ” — Khairy Jamaluddin (@Khairykj) June 10, 2014 The benchmark. Can our junior athletes train as hard as Malaysia's world No.1 badminton player, Lee Chong Wei? “IT IS okay lah. The training is not too bad lah. I will try lah … Wah, so hard lah today.” These are some of the common statements I hear from our juniors nowadays. It is not only in badminton. It is the easy-going, laid-back attitude and lack of competitiveness at grassroots level that we have problems producing quality players. I have travelled quite a bit. After ending my decade-long career with the national team, I went to play in the league in Europe. It’s different there. The European athletes know what they want. And they do it with real focus. Even the young ones possess admirable self-control and show a high level of commitment. During my time in the ...
12 comments
Read more

Organising Major Sports Events Can Inspire Sports Culture Among The People - Khairy

PUTRAJAYA, June 5 (Bernama) -- Organising major sports events can help inspire sports culture among the people and ensure a healthy lifestyle said Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. Khairy said the Tour of Malaysia cycling race organised since 1963, for example, can encourage more people to take the sport in a more competitive way or just for recreation purposes. "A study carried out by a world renown medical journal, The Lancet, revealed that 61 percent of adults in Malaysia do not engage themselves in active sports. "A study by the Health Ministry revealed that only 25 percent of Malaysians exercise," he said in his speech when launching the 2013 Tour of Malaysia (Jelajah Malaysia) at the Youth and Sports Ministry, here, Wednesday. "Cycling, though not as popular here as in countries like Denmark, the activity is becoming popular among the people as can be seen through an increase in sale of bicycles for recreation," he sa...
Post a Comment
Read more

KBS realistik

TERUJA...Shabery (dua dari kanan) melancarkan Logo Tahun Industri Sukan 2011-2012 di Casa 1, MSN, semalam.    KETIKA beberapa sukan utama diletakkan sasaran meraih pingat khususnya emas di Sukan Olimpik 2012 London, penyertaan bola sepak dan hoki sebagai keluarga baru program Road To London pula dilihat sekadar membantu mereka melepasi kelayakan. Mungkin bersikap lebih realistik dengan keupayaan kedua-dua sukan itu di pentas lebih tinggi, Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek mahu segala bantuan diberikan kepada sejumlah 50 pemain bola sepak dan hoki kebangsaan bagi membolehkan mereka tersenarai sebagai kontinjen ke London. “Bagi acara hoki dan bola sepak, kita tidak boleh melihat bantuan perlu diberi selepas mereka layak tetapi kita akan cuba bantu mereka supaya mereka layak. “Tiada kompromi terhadap misi mendapatkan emas pertama tetapi sasaran kita tahun ini ialah mendapatkan seberapa ramai atlet ke Sukan Olimpik,” katanya selepas mempen...
Post a Comment
Read more